:: a thousand angels are singing out ::

Do you hear the sound?

A thousand angels are singing out.

 To God Almighty we're bowing down

And that's what Christmas is all about!

Oh to hear a thousand angels praising God on that night so many years ago when He became man and was born on earth in a completely humble position, to grow and teach us how to truly live. Amidst all the excitement and rush and crossing off of to-do-lists, we wish you a wonderful Christmas season. Whether you're celebrating with a lot of people, just one or on your own, we pray your heart will be warmed with encouragement as you participate in this day of Life, Love and generous Giving. 

We leave you with this fun Christmas song (brought to you by some current favourites for our girls) and some recent photos. 

(we have a Papa who is awesome at making swings!)

Opening some presents on Christmas Eve - new books from Grand-Papa et Grand-Maman!!

Be safe in your travels, enjoy the true Spirit of the season, and be blessed as 2013 comes to a close ;o) 

:: new place ::

We're back! In a different place, but with plenty of life to share with you :o) The long pause hasn't been entirely planned...a mix of computer issues and a full photo storage space on our other blog has meant a bit of silence on our part in this social network world, and a new blog! Life definitely doesn't stop, as we all know, so this post will be a mish-mash of what we've been up to lately. 

We're loving being near the coast, spoilt by a whole variety of beaches nearby to visit. The girls love digging their toes into the soft sands, collecting shells and splashing along the shoreline :o)

Decorating the Christmas tree was a whole new adventure for the girls this year! They jumped right in on their own initiative, climbing up the little step ladder to try and hang ornaments on the tree themselves :o) 

A fun time in the spa was also enjoyed and no doubt will be many times again once the girls are finally over their coughs and colds. 

We also had fun searching through a box of old buttons and stones from my grandparents. If buttons could talk their stories would be fascinating! Among them are some old NZ Army buttons. I wonder of the sights and places they have seen...

Our most exciting news for this time has been the arrival of our beautiful little (first) niece and cousin, Lucy. She's gorgeous, and her mummy and daddy are doing SO well! 

We spent several days over this past weekend down in the South Island celebrating my grandma's 83rd birthday with family. She changed a lot since we had last seen her at our wedding over three years ago, but it was really precious to be with her again, to enjoy her beautiful smiles and to introduce her to the girls who were quickly drawn to "Great Grandma."

We have been treated on our return back up to Auckland with the sight of this beautiful pohutukawa tree in front of the house, in full bloom. The pohutukawa is a native tree to New Zealand and flowers once a year over Christmas. Not surprisingly, it's known as NZ's Christmas tree, which is quite fitting with the summery season :o)

We hope this finds you well in this time of year that is often full of lists to be completed. I hope that, in contrast, you're able to relax, enjoy the celebration of Jesus' birth and find moments of peace amidst the preparations.